Salles, Gilles A

Abstract Background Rituximab in combination with chemotherapy has been shown to improve overall survival (OS) in pts with FL compared with chemotherapy alone. The effect of MR was evaluated in randomized clinical trials (RCTs) with conflicting results regarding OS. In a previous systematic review and meta-analysis of summary (aggregate) data we demonstrated an OS benefit of MR treatment in pts with relapsed or refractory FL and an improved progression free survival (PFS) in both untreated and relapsed refractory FL. However, pts' disease and treatment characteristics may interact with the effect of MR. To improve identification of sub-groups of pts who may benefit from MR treatment, and to evaluate factors that interact with the effect of MR we conducted an international IPD (raw data) meta-analysis of RCTs of MR for pts with FL. We present the first analysis of this meta-database. Methods In June 2014, we updated an electronic search in Pubmed and the Cochrane Library, conference proceedings and database of clinical trials for randomized trials comparing MR to observation. The investigators of eleven trials that fulfilled inclusion criteria were invited to cooperate. Results of one trial were not reported and this trial could not be included in the meta-analysis. Seven study groups participated in this collaborative project and contributed data on individual pts, including disease characteristics, past treatment, response, survival and adverse events. We examined the effect of pt, disease and treatment characteristics by performing a series of Cox regression analyses stratified by trial. In a sensitivity analysis we combined the assessed log hazard ratios (HR) using a log-rank test for each study and combined the results using a fixed effect meta-analysis. Results We obtained data for 2323 patients randomized in 7 trials of MR compared to observation after induction therapy. The median follow up ranged from 28-114 months. The median age was 57 years (23 - 85 years), and 41% were older than 60 years. 50% of pts were women, 97% had WHO performance status 0-1; 1195 (53%) pts received CHOP/RCHOP, 453 (20%) CVP/R CVP; 1755 (77%) received rituximab containing induction; 33% of pts received 1st induction, 67% ≥2nd. Overall, pts less than 60 years of age (vs. ≥60 years) (p < 0.0001), and women (p = 0.001) had a better prognosis. There was no interaction between sex and the effect of MR (p = 0.65). Pts treated with MR had an improved OS compared to observation (HR 0.76, 95% CI 0.62-0.93, p=0.008, Figure). This was demonstrated also in a sensitivity analysis of 10 studies fulfilling inclusion criteria. There was no statistically significant heterogeneity of treatment effect between trials (p=0.15). In an analysis by treatment line (1st vs. ≥2nd), the estimated effect of MR among patients who received ≥2nd induction was HR of 0.70 (95% CI 0.55 - 0.91), compared to 0.90 (95% CI 0.65 - 1.25) among patients who received 1st induction. However, this difference was not statistically significant (p=0.25). Analysis by the inclusion of rituximab in induction demonstrated among patients who received rituximab in induction a HR of 0.82 (95% CI 0.63 – 1.06), and among those who received induction without rituximab a HR of 0.68 (95% CI 0.49 – 0.93). This difference was not statistically significant (p= 0.35). Analysis by chemotherapy regimen demonstrated an estimated effect for MR among patients who received RCHOP/CHOP of 0.79, 95% CI 0.58 – 1.06, and after RCVP/CVP of 0.65, 95% CI 0.42 – 1.02, with no statistically significant difference between these sub-groups (p = 0.50). Conclusions This is the first report of the collaborative group of maintenance therapy for FL patients. Based on individual patient data, this study demonstrated an improved OS with MR therapy for patients with FL. A sensitivity analysis with all 10 eligible trials supported these results. Results support the effectiveness of MR among patients after their 1st induction as well as after ≥2nd induction, and irrespective of inclusion of rituximab in induction, and the chemotherapy regimen. These results are consistent with those of the summary data meta-analysis that was previously published. The wider CI and lack of statistical significance within sub-groups could be attributed to the sample size. Figure: Pooled HR of death of MR compared to observation in patients with follicular lymphoma. In one study there were no events in one group and it is not represented in the forest plot. Figure:. Pooled HR of death of MR compared to observation in patients with follicular lymphoma. In one study there were no events in one group and it is not represented in the forest plot. Disclosures Vidal: Roche: unrestricted grant Other. Shpilberg:Roche: Consultancy, Research Funding.

Abstract Abstract 3637 Background: A recent large genome-wide association study confirmed the important role of the major histocompatibility complex in classical Hodgkin Lymphoma (cHL) susceptibility (rs6903608), but also identified significant associations with genetic variants outside of the HLA region at chromosomal regions 2p16.1 (REL, rs1432295), 8q24.21 (PVT1, rs2608053, rs2019960), and 10p14 (GATA3, rs501764, rs485411). These single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) are localized in or near important genes involved in lymphoma pathogenesis: REL, which encodes for c-rel, is a member of NFkB pathway; PVT1, which is downstream of the MYC locus, encodes for non-coding microRNAs, some of which have oncogenic properties; and GATA3, which is a critical transcriptional factor for priming lymphoid T-cells for Th2 phenotype, is aberrantly expressed in HL. We investigated whether these six SNPs described in cHL etiology also influence the outcome of newly diagnosed cHL patients in two independent cohorts. Patients and Methods: The first cohort consisted of 342 cHL patients from the Groupe d'Etude des Lymphomes de l'Adulte (GELA) who were prospectively enrolled between 1998 and 2002. The second cohort consisted of 259 patients prospectively enrolled in the University of Iowa/Mayo Clinic SPORE Molecular Epidemiology Resource (MER). DNA for genotyping was extracted from a blood samples collected at diagnosis, and genotyping was conducted using Taqman technology (ABI Prism 7000, Applied Biosystems) for HLA-DRA, PVT1, GATA3 and PCR-based restriction fragment length polymorphism for REL in GELA cohort and Illumina iSelect for the 6 SNPs in MER cohort. Both cohorts were followed for disease progression, re-treatment and death. In the GELA series, the median age was 32 years (range, 15–93), 57% were male, and 72% had an Ann Arbor stage I–II. Histology was nodular sclerosis in 84%, and 29% of available cases (n=40/140) were EBV positive. In the MER series, the median age was 38 years (range, 18–89), 53% were male, and 53% had an Ann Arbor stage I-II. Nodular sclerosis was the most common subtype (62%) and 23 of 115 available cases were EBV positive (20%). The International Prognostic Score (IPS) was 0–1 in 46% and 52% of GELA and MER patients, respectively. ABVD regimen was used for 60% and 88% of the GELA and MER patients, respectively. The 5-year progression free survival (PFS) was 83% and 75% in GELA and MER cohorts, respectively. We estimated the prognostic value of each individual SNP for PFS for allelic and genotypic (dominant and recessive) modes of transmission in each series. In order to increase power, we then performed a meta-analysis of the two studies. Results: Consistent with prior reports, the minor allele frequencies for REL (rs1432295), HLA-DRA (rs6903608), PVT1 (rs2608053), PVT1 (rs2019960), GATA3 (rs501764) and GATA3 (rs485411) were 0.44, 0.50, 0.43, 0.29, 0.22, 0.28 in the GELA and 0.46, 0.41, 0.46, 0.27, 0.25, 0.31 in the MER series, respectively. In GELA, GATA3 (rs501767) was associated with PFS in the ordinal model (HR=1.66, 95%CI 1.11–2.49, P=.01), while there were suggestive associations for PVT1 (rs2608053) (HR=1.76, 95%CI 0.95–3.26, P=.07) and REL (rs1432295) (HR=0.63, 95%CI 0.37–1.06, P=.08) in the dominant model. In the MER, PVT1 (rs2608053) was associated with PFS in the ordinal model (HR=1.42, 95%CI 0.99–2.03, P=.06), while there was a suggestive association with HLA-DRA (rs6903608) in the dominant model (HR=0.64, 95%CI 0.39–1.05, P=.08) for whole cohort but also for EBV negative cHL (HR=0.41, 95%CI 0.17–0.99, P=.05). In a meta-analysis of the two studies, PVT1 (rs2608053) was significantly associated with PFS in the ordinal (HR=1.34, 95%CI 1.04–1.73, P=.02) and the dominant (HR=1.88, 95%CI 1.20–2.95, P=.006) models. Further adjustment for IPS had minimal impact on these associations (ordinal HR=1.30, 95%CI 1.00–1.70; dominant HR=1.78, 95%CI 1.13–2.83). Patients with PVT1(rs2608053) GG, GA, AA genotypes had a 5-year PFS rate of 83%, 74% and 73% in GELA and 86%, 70%, and 73% in the MER, respectively. Conclusions: The non-HLA cHL susceptibility locus PVT1 (rs2608053) was associated with PFS in two independent cohorts of cHL cases, and after adjustment for the IPS. While associations with GATA3 and REL were only observed in one of the studies, their evaluation in other studies is warranted. Functional studies of PVT1 in cHL pathogenesis should be pursued. Disclosures: No relevant conflicts of interest to declare.

Abstract We previously identified five single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) at four susceptibility loci for diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) in individuals of European ancestry through a large genome-wide association study (GWAS). To further elucidate genetic susceptibility to DLBCL, we sought to validate two loci at 3q13.33 and 3p24.1 that were suggestive in the original GWAS with additional genotyping. In the meta-analysis (5662 cases and 9237 controls) of the four original GWAS discovery scans and three replication studies, the 3q13.33 locus (rs9831894; minor allele frequency [MAF] = 0.40) was associated with DLBCL risk [odds ratio (OR) = 0.83, P = 3.62 × 10−13]. rs9831894 is in linkage disequilibrium (LD) with additional variants that are part of a super-enhancer that physically interacts with promoters of CD86 and ILDR1. In the meta-analysis (5510 cases and 12 817 controls) of the four GWAS discovery scans and four replication studies, the 3p24.1 locus (rs6773363; MAF = 0.45) was also associated with DLBCL risk (OR = 1.20, P = 2.31 × 10−12). This SNP is 29 426-bp upstream of the nearest gene EOMES and in LD with additional SNPs that are part of a highly lineage-specific and tumor-acquired super-enhancer that shows long-range interaction with AZI2 promoter. These loci provide additional evidence for the role of immune function in the etiology of DLBCL, the most common lymphoma subtype.

AbstractEpidemiologic studies show an increased risk of non‐Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) in patients with autoimmune disease (AD), due to a combination of shared environmental factors and/or genetic factors, or a causative cascade: chronic inflammation/antigen‐stimulation in one disease leads to another. Here we assess shared genetic risk in genome‐wide‐association‐studies (GWAS).Secondary analysis of GWAS of NHL subtypes (chronic lymphocytic leukemia, diffuse large B‐cell lymphoma, follicular lymphoma, and marginal zone lymphoma) and ADs (rheumatoid arthritis, systemic lupus erythematosus, and multiple sclerosis). Shared genetic risk was assessed by (a) description of regional genetic of overlap, (b) polygenic risk score (PRS), (c)"diseasome", (d)meta‐analysis.Descriptive analysis revealed few shared genetic factors between each AD and each NHL subtype. The PRS of ADs were not increased in NHL patients (nor vice versa). In the diseasome, NHLs shared more genetic etiology with ADs than solid cancers (p = .0041). A meta‐analysis (combing AD with NHL) implicated genes of apoptosis and telomere length.This GWAS‐based analysis four NHL subtypes and three ADs revealed few weakly‐associated shared loci, explaining little total risk. This suggests common genetic variation, as assessed by GWAS in these sample sizes, may not be the primary explanation for the link between these ADs and NHLs.

Purpose Although the life expectancy of patients with follicular lymphoma (FL) has increased, little is known of their causes of death (CODs) in the rituximab era. Patients and Methods We pooled two cohorts of newly diagnosed patients with FL grade 1-3A. Patients were enrolled between 2001 and 2013 in two French referral institutions (N = 734; median follow-up 89 months) and 2002 and 2012 in the University of Iowa and Mayo Clinic Specialized Program of Research Excellence (SPORE; N = 920; median follow-up 84 months). COD was classified as being a result of lymphoma, other malignancy, treatment related, or all other causes. Results Ten-year overall survival was comparable in the French (80%) and US (77%) cohorts. We were able to classify COD in 248 (88%) of 283 decedents. In the overall cohort, lymphoma was the most common COD, with a cumulative incidence of 10.3% at 10 years, followed by treatment-related mortality (3.0%), other malignancy (2.9%), other causes (2.2%), and unknown (3.0%). The 10-year cumulative incidence of death as a result of lymphoma or treatment was higher than death as a result of all other causes for each age group (including patients ≥ 70 years of age at diagnosis [25.4% v 16.6%]) Follicular Lymphoma International Prognostic Index score 3 to 5 (27.4% v 5.2%), but not Follicular Lymphoma International Prognostic Index score 0 to 1 (4.0% v 3.7%); for patients who failed to achieve event-free survival within 24 months from diagnosis (36.1% v 7.0%), but not for patients who achieved event-free survival within 24 months of diagnosis (6.7% v 5.7%); and for patients with a history of transformed FL (45.9% v 4.7%), but not among patients without (8.1% v 6.2%). Overall, 77 of 140 deaths as a result of lymphoma occurred in patients whose FL transformed after diagnosis. Conclusion Despite the improvement in overall survival in patients with FL in the rituximab era, their leading COD remains lymphoma, especially after disease transformation. Treatment-related mortality also represents a concern, which supports the need for less-toxic therapies.

TPS7577 Background: Nivolumab (nivo) is a PD-1 immune checkpoint inhibitor that augments T-cell activation and host anti-tumor responses. PD-1 blockade has shown promise in B- and T-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL),1 but many patients (pts) with NHL do not respond or progress after response. Combination therapy using anti-tumor agents with complementary mechanisms of action and low immunosuppressive impact may result in more frequent and durable responses. Brentuximab vedotin (BV) is an anti-CD30 antibody–drug conjugate that induces cell cycle arrest and apoptosis, with activity in a range of NHL tumors.2,3 Tumor cells undergoing BV-induced apoptosis have shown subsequent immune-mediated anti-tumor cytotoxicity.4 Therefore, nivo and BV may synergize if combined for relapsed/refractory (RR) NHL. Methods: CheckMate 436 (NCT02581631) is a phase 1–2, open-label, international, single-arm study evaluating nivo + BV for CD30-expressing RR NHL (study start: Dec 2015) in pts with RR diffuse large B-cell lymphoma, peripheral T-cell lymphoma (excluding anaplastic large cell lymphoma), and cutaneous T-cell lymphoma (mycosis fungoides/Sézary syndrome); cohorts with primary mediastinal B-cell lymphoma (PMBL) and mediastinal gray zone lymphoma were made eligible in Sept 2016. Pts with PMBL must be aged ≥15 y (≥18 y for other histologies). All pts must have CD30-expressing disease, defined by CD30 on ≥1% of tumor cells or tumor-infiltrating lymphocytes by immunohistochemistry. In the phase 1 component, 6 pts will receive nivo and BV until disease progression or unacceptable toxicity. In the phase 2 component, ~130 more pts across the 5 histologies will be enrolled and treated at the recommended dose. Primary endpoints: safety, tolerability, and investigator-assessed objective response rate; secondary endpoints: duration of response and complete response (CR), CR rate, and progression-free and overall survival. Accrual is ongoing. References: 1. Lesokhin A et al. JCO 2016;34:2698–704 2. Jacobsen E et al. Blood 2015;125:1394–402 3. Horwitz S et al. Blood 2014;123:3095–100 4. Gardai S et al. Cancer Res 2015;75(15 Suppl):2469 [abstract]. Clinical trial information: NCT02581631.

TPS7575 Background: Approximately 50% of patients (pts) with advanced DLBCL are refractory to or relapse following first line R-CHOP therapy. Pts with R/R DLBCL have limited treatment options and a poor prognosis. This study assesses immunotherapy-based regimens containing avelumab (a fully human IgG1 anti–PD-L1 antibody) in combination with utomilumab (a novel 4-1BB agonist), azacitidine, rituximab, and/or conventional chemotherapy (CT; bendamustine) in pts with R/R DLBCL. Methods: JAVELIN DLBCL (NCT02951156) is a global, multicenter, randomized, open-label, 2-component(phase 1b followed by phase 3) study of avelumab-based combination regimens in R/R DLBCL. In phase 1b, up to 84 pts will be randomized 1:1:1 to receive avelumab/rituximab/utomilumab, or avelumab/azacitidine/utomilumab, or avelumab/rituximab/bendamustine. The primary phase 1b objectives are preliminary assessments of dose-limiting toxicities (n = 6 per arm) and efficacy (objective response [OR]; n = 28 per arm). One regimen from phase 1b will be selected for phase 3 evaluation in 220 additional pts randomized 1:1 to the chosen regimen or investigator’s choice CT (rituximab/bendamustine or rituximab/gemcitabine/oxaliplatin). The primary phase 3 objective is to demonstrate progression-free survival (PFS) superiority of the avelumab-based regimen over CT. Overall survival is a key secondary endpoint. Eligible pts have completed up to 4 lines of prior rituximab/multiagent CT, and/or have failed autologous stem cell transplantation (ASCT), or are not eligible for intensive CT or ASCT. Other eligibility criteria include ECOG PS ≤1 and no prior therapy with a checkpoint inhibitor. Treatment with avelumab, utomilumab, and azacitidine will be continued until the pt no longer receives clinical benefit; rituximab and bendamustine are limited to 8 and 6 cycles, respectively. OR and PFS will be assessed per Lugano disease classification criteria. Other secondary efficacy endpoints include disease control, duration of response, time to response, and minimal residual disease burden. Safety, PK, immunogenicity, pt-reported outcomes, and biomarkers will also be evaluated. Clinical trial information: NCT02951156.

Abstract Background: We previously identified 5 SNPs at 4 susceptibility loci for diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) in individuals of European ancestry through a large genome-wide association study (Cerhan et al, Nat Gen 2014;46:1233-8); however, much of the heritability remains unexplained. To further elucidate genetic susceptibility to DLBCL, we sought to validate 2 loci at 3q13.33 and 3p24.1 that were suggestive in the original report. Methods: We selected two SNPs rs9831894 (3q13.33) and rs6773363 (3p24.1) for de novo replication from studies at the Mayo Clinic, MD Anderson, and Memorial Sloan Kettering. Logistic regression was used to estimate odds ratios (ORs), using a log-additive model, and adjusting for age, gender and significant eigenvectors for each genotyping center separately. For both SNPs, we then conducted a meta-analysis of all replication studies (n=3) and our original GWAS studies (n=4), encompassing in total 5662 cases and 9237 controls for rs9831894, and 5510 cases and 12,817 controls for rs6773363. Meta-analysis was conducted using the fixed-effects inverse variance method based on the β estimates and standard errors from each study. Results: In a meta-analysis of the 4 original GWAS scans (3856 cases and 7666 controls), rs9831894 (MAF=0.40) was associated with DLBCL risk (OR=0.84, P=4.52 x 10-9) and this replicated in a meta-analysis of the 3 studies with de novo genotyping (OR=0.80, P=4.17 x 10-5); the overall meta-analysis showed a strong association with DLBCL risk (OR=0.83, P=3.62 x 10-13). This locus maps near a plausible candidate gene, CD86, a protein coding gene and a member of the immunoglobulin superfamily that encodes a type I membrane protein. Binding of CD86 with cytotoxic T-lymphocyte-associated protein 4 negatively regulates T-cell activation and diminishes the immune response, while binding of CD86 with CD28 antigen is a costimulatory signal for activation of the T-cell. In a meta-analysis of the same 4 GWAS scans, rs6773363 (MAF=0.45) was tentatively associated with DLBCL risk (OR=1.17, P= 3.68 x 10-7) and this replicated in a meta-analysis of the studies with de novo genotyping (OR=1.27, P=3.78 x 10-7); the overall meta-analysis showed a strong association with DLBCL risk (OR=1.20, P=2.31 x 10-12). This locus also maps near a plausible candidate gene, eomesodermin (EOMES), a transcription factor crucial for embryonic development of the central nervous system and also putatively involved in T-cell differentiation in viral infection defense. Conclusion: In this follow-up analysis of our initial GWAS, we have identified two additional loci associated with risk of DLBCL, the most common lymphoma subtype. These loci provide additional evidence for the role of immune function in the etiology of DLBCL. Citation Format: Geffen Kleinstern, Michelle Hildebrand, Vijai Joseph, Sonja I. Berndt, Hervé Ghesquières, James McKay, Sophia S. Wang, Alexandra Nieters, David Cox, Alain Monnereau, Angela R. Brooks-Wilson, Qing Lan, Mads Melbye, Rebecca D. Jackson, Lauren R. Teras, Mark P. Purdue, Claire M. Vajdic, Demetrius Albanes, Anne Zeleniuch-Jacquotte, Simon Crouch, Yawei Zhang, Susan L. Slager, Xifeng Wu, Karin E. Smedby, Gilles Salles, Christine F. Skibola, Nathaniel Rothman, Stephen J. Chanock, James R. Cerhan. Inherited variants at 3q13.33 and 3p24.1 influences risk of diffuse large B-cell lymphoma [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the American Association for Cancer Research Annual Meeting 2018; 2018 Apr 14-18; Chicago, IL. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2018;78(13 Suppl):Abstract nr 221.